Ex-Waltham cop sentenced to five years for child porn possession

Tuesday

Jul 22, 2014 at 5:35 PMJul 23, 2014 at 6:25 AM

By Eli Shermanesherman@wickedlocal.com

A former veteran Waltham Police officer, guilty of possessing child pornography, was sentenced to five years in federal prison Tuesday afternoon.Paul Manganelli Jr., 47, of Waltham, broke into tears several times during the hearing at Moakley Courthouse in Boston. U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor sentenced him to 60 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. When he gets out, Manganelli will have to register as a sex offender."Police are not normally the type of people who come through my court for sentencing," Saylor said. "...Most people looking at that [sentence] will think it too lenient, and the remainder will think it too harsh."Manganelli's sentencing fell well short of the maximum. He pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison with a lifetime of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.The defense asked for 30 months and the prosecution asked for 70. Saylor said maximum sentencing is high for this crime he characterized as the "toughest to judge."About 20 of Manganelli's relatives and friends were in the courtroom, which defense attorney Charles Rankin and Saylor agreed was uncommon in a case involving a sex offender.Manganelli was taken into custody after the sentencing and will be held in jail until the federal Bureau of Prisons designates a prison for him. Saylor said he'd recommend Manganelli be sent to a penitentiary close to eastern Massachusetts. The nearest federal prison is FMC Devens.Manganelli, addressing the court, called special agent Eric Slaton – the FBI agent who compiled the evidence that led to his arrest – a "saving angel.""I was in a very dark place in my life when I was doing these things," Manganelli said. "[Slaton] came along and stopped me and I thank God that he stopped me."Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacy Dawson Belf, who tried the case, argued that the ex-cop has a history of lying to people closest to him. Belf, who called Manganelli's actions "difficult to overstate," was especially concerned with his relationship with an 11-year-old girl – identified as Jane Doe.Although no physical evidence suggested he ever touched her, several recovered emails revealed his overt wish to do so."He was breaking the law every day as a sworn police officer," Belf said.Before sentencing, Rankin called in Manganelli's psychologist Dr. Michael Dodd, who has worked with the ex-cop since June of last year. Dodd said Manganelli had made great advancements psychologically and Rankin later argued that incarceration wouldn't help Manganelli's progress."Locking Paul Manganelli up for 70 months isn't going to make society safer. Locking him up for 30 months isn't going to make society safer," Rankin said. "Getting Paul Manganelli the treatment he needs is what's going to make society safer."Manganelli was arrested last year as a part of an FBI investigation that exposed an international web of people trading child pornography over the Internet. Manganelli was a participant from December 2011 through March 2013.FBI agents arrested him in March 2013 and found him in possession of more than 850 images and 40 videos containing child pornography, some showing girls between 6 and 10 years old. He also possessed a substantial collection of child erotica.Manganelli exchanged child pornography with at least 53 email accounts. During those trades he discussed his sexual interest in children and asked others how to groom a child to engage in sexual activity with him, according to a May press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.The former Waltham patrolman, who made $92,435 in fiscal 2013, told an FBI agent that he sent and received the illicit images as part of research to identify perverts online. But police denied ever assigning Manganelli to perform any such investigation and said he never reported any illegal activity.Manganelli, who had been on the force since May 1993, resigned from the Police Department in October. Between the months of July and October 2013, the city compensated him with more than $36,000, according to Personnel Department records.Manganelli also receives a pension through the Waltham Retirement Board, which approved it in full after his federal indictment last October.Waltham Retirement Board Executive Director Joseph Juppe said in May that the board would review whether Manganelli would continue receiving his $26,284.32 in annual retirement benefits. Juppe said, at the time, the board attorney still needed to gather court records after sentencing to start the benefits review.Manganelli originally pleaded not guilty in federal court, but cut a deal with the U.S. Attorney's Office and changed his plea to guilty in May.Before the plea change, the ex-cop faced two charges – possession of child pornography and receipt of child pornography – but the latter was dropped after he switched his plea, court records show.Two victims are seeking recompense from Manganelli for his actions, so a restitution hearing is set for Sept. 10. Saylor decided against fining Manganelli, saying any money he might have should go elsewhere."[It] should first go towards restitution and secondly towards his family," Saylor said.